A collector’s guide to the ins, outs, and joys of Marvel trading cards.
But fans have always snapped them up.
The Beginning
Like with most collectibles, firsts matter.
In the trading card space, the first big Marvel set was 1990s Impel Marvel Universe cards.
Speaking as someone who was a preteen at the time, arguing about this stuffrocked.
A few have gone for four figures at auction.A mint Venomcould fetch four times that.
And the value of the hologram cards continue to soar.
Cards were not immune to the excesses of 90s comic culture.
So the gimmicks came, and when they were bad, they werereallybad.
Case in point: Spring Break 1995.
Perhaps its not terribly surprising that you mostly cant give these cards away.
But theyd beamazingconversation pieces framed and on the wallif youre willing to go for it.
But this card is great for a much different reason.
Galactus was created by the greatest comic artist ever to work:Jack Kirby.
He and Stan Lee introduced Galactus early in theFantastic Fourcomics, and Kirbys design was amazing.
This giant was shimmering with power, Kirby crackle everywhere.
Seeing him on page was intimidating and awe-inspiring.
The2022 Upper Deck Kangcard has a similar foiling effect for a similarly weird character.
What you oughta Know to Start Collecting
Fausto Barrionuevo is a geek.
We say this with the utmost respect: we are a veritable Den of them, after all.
He, like most of us, got his start in nerdery early.
I was seven, and I came across something Silver Surfer, he tells us.
It [had] Ron Lim art on the front and the power ratings and bio on the back.
The card taught me everything about the character.
Valuing Cards
There are two ways of judging value when youre starting your collection.
If you love the card, its valuable to you.
There are cards that are objectively valuable.
Only about 30 of those exist in the wild now.
That card is super coveted, Barrionuevo tells us, because its impossible to get.
But there are cards that are personally valuable, too.
Sleepwalker isnt likely to be in an MCU production, but if he ever is, expect a spike.
Protecting Your Collection
There are also cards that aregraded.
And a good distinction between graded cards and other memorabilia like comics is that graded cards are still usable.
But a graded card can be displayed, and both front and back can still be seen.
When youre a hobbyist, its about being part of the community.
Its about sharing what you love with people who love the same things.
Thats where the real value of collecting these cards comes from.
